Vasil Melo
Vasil Melo Βασίλης Μέλος | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of PBDNJ | |
| In office 1992–2002 | |
| Preceded by | (Party established) |
| Succeeded by | Vangjel Dule |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 September 1932 |
| Died | 12 May 2002 (aged 69) Athens, Greece |
| Citizenship |
|
| Party | Unity for Human Rights Party |
| Alma mater | University of Tirana |
| Occupation | Politician, journalist |
Vasil Melo (Greek: Βασίλης Μέλος; 30 September 1932 – 12 May 2002) is an Albanian politician of Greek descent. He is the founder and former chairman of the Unity for Human Rights Party (PBDNJ) from 1992 until his death in 2002, and has represented the Greek ethnic minority in the Parliament of Albania; bringing the PBDNJ party to its peak in terms of parliamentary seats and vote share.
Biography
A native of Delvinë, he was born on 30 September 1932, and contributed to the literary magazine Drita.[1]
In 1992, after the fall of the socialist regime, he was among the founders of the PBDNJ, a political representation of the Greek minority in Albania, which arose from the Omonoia organization. In the parliamentary elections of that year, the party managed to secure two seats in the Parliament of Albania, returning to the opposition to the government led by Aleksandër Meksi.
In the subsequent parliamentary elections of 1996, Melo was elected as a member of the Assembly, being re-elected again in 1997 and 2001[2] in a broader coalition with the Socialist Party;[3] the decision to join a coalition with the Socialists was disapproved of by several members of Omonoia. He supported the 1998 Albanian constitution, arguing that it offered "sufficient protection to minorities".[4] At the same time, between 1996 and 2002, he was a substitute member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
He died on 12 May 2002, in Athens, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer.[5]
References
- ^ "Vasil Melo". Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Deputetët Ndër Vite (1920–2021)" (PDF) (in Albanian). Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (7 October 1998). "The Union for Human Rights Party/Omonia (1998) [ALB30206.E]". ecoi.net. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ Lansford, Tom (24 March 2015). Political Handbook of the World 2015. CQ Press. ISBN 978-1-4833-7156-6.
- ^ "Vdes nga kanseri Vasil Melo". BBC në Shqip (in Albanian). 12 May 2002. Retrieved 27 January 2026.